There has been a continuing need for a shelf support strip that is easily applied, is economically manufacturable and which permits the ready applicability of shelves thereon. The prior art is replete with many different types of shelf support brackets, hangers, strips and various other devices for supporting a shelf between two upright parallel end boards. So far as is known, none of these shelf support means are fabricated from a plastic or synthetic resinous material. Accordingly, one of the important objects of the present invention is to provide a shelf support strip or bracket that is wholly fabricated from a synthetic resinous material.
Many conventional shelf support means utilize two or three different parts. One of such parts frequently takes the form of an elongated strip, pairs of which are securely fastened to opposite upstanding end boards in a shelf assembly, the elongated strips being apertured for application of a second member which is adjusted in height along the length of the strip so as to level the shelves. The shelf support member applied to the apertured strip constitutes a separate element and therefore is not integral with the strip on which it is supported and has the tendency to introduce a weak link into the shelf support system. Accordingly, another object of the invention is to provide a shelf support strip in which all parts thereof except the screw that attaches the strip to the shelf support end board is integral and formed in a single unit.
Conventional shelf support brackets and strips utilize a movable or adjustable shelf hanger unit, generally applicable to an apertured strip so that the hanger unit may be adjusted in height depending upon the height of books, for instance, that might be stacked on a shelf. The present invention eliminates such extra and separate parts and provides a shelf support member integral with the shelf support base strip and formed in such a way that a shelf may be inserted below a shelf support unit or shell and may be raised upwardly so as to initially collapse the shelf support unit to permit passage of the shelf, and which then pops out and supports the shelf once the shelf has been properly positioned for such support.
The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which with the foregoing, will be apparent from the following description and the drawings. It is to be understood however that the invention is not limited to the embodiment illustrated and described, since it may be embodied in different forms within the scope of the appended claims.